Conventionally, an industrial robot is known, which holds a workpiece with a robot hand and conveys the same. Typically, an articulated robot is given as its example.
In the articulated robot, a plurality of arm members are connected to each other in order via joints so as to configure a robot arm, and a robot hand is mounted to a distal end of the robot arm.
The articulated robot, typically a six-axis articulated robot, has a high degree of freedom in movement of the robot hand mounted to the distal end of the robot arm.
Recently, a robot cell is employed more and more as a self-supporting production facility, and the articulated robot is advantageous for working in the robot cell of a limited space.
However, particularly when a work space is limited like the robot cell, there is a problem that the arrangement of a robot and various instruments and structures around the same are difficult to be designed, and therefore it is required to improve space efficiency.
For example, when a workpiece which has once been held by the robot hand needs to be reheld reversing its face and back, an apparatus for that needs to be installed inside of the robot cell.
Patent Literature 1 discloses a workpiece reverse station as an apparatus for reversing a workpiece which has once been held by a robot hand face/back so as to rehold the same.